Author: expepicurean

With the start of the school year comes the flurry of science fair projects. While my kids are too little to participate, my daughter is enamored with science and knows I love it too. She even bought me a kitchen science kit for Christmas (I guess you could say she knows me pretty well!). Needless to say, we try to do fun experiments at home as time permits.

One of the typical at-home science experiments I have wanted to do is the density demonstration, like this density tower done by Steve Spangler. The only trick is that I wanted to make a completely edible version that tastes good but didn’t involve alcohol (think the colorful, layered party drinks) since I wanted to keep it a teachable moment for my kiddos. This has meant a bit of tinkering in my kitchen. In the end, I ended up with the Banana Split Layer Drink.

The least dense layer for most other density towers is alcohol. Here, I have replaced it with a pureed banana layer. Why does this work? First, I mixed the banana with a bit of water which is the least dense fluid out of my ingredients. Second, by mixing the banana with the water using an immersion blender traps air into the mixture, resulting in a lighter than water fluid.

The full banana split density tower is layered as follows: a chocolate syrup layer gets topped with grenadine, half and half, and pureed banana. Each layer has to be poured slowly and carefully, preferably with a turkey baster.

When consumed, the Banana Split Layer Drink does taste like a melted ice cream sundae. Who knew that a density science experiment could taste so good?

Banana Split Layer Drink

½ banana
2 Tablespoons water
Chocolate syrup
Grenadine
Half and half

In a tall cup, blend the banana and water with an immersion blender until smooth and foamy. Pour the chocolate into the bottom of a tall, skinny glass. Pour on a layer of grenadine, and then using a turkey baster carefully pour on the banana layer. Clean the baster and then carefully pour on the half and half layer.

Note: While the banana layer is less dense and would seem to be the last layer to add, a cleaner separation occurs when the pour order of the half and half and banana layers are done in the order described above.

If you are in search of a quick and easy dessert, look no further. Grilling angel food cake makes this dish look accomplished with minimal effort. In addition, by grilling the cake it gains a toasted marshmallow flavor which is always a crowd pleaser.

The grilled angel food cake is merely a vehicle for the two other flavorful toppings – lemon Noosa yogurt and fresh currants. The lemon Noosa has a generous amount of lemon curd mixed into it’s creamy base, such that it really tastes like you are eating a lemon whipped cream. The fresh currants add both a pop of color and burst of tart/sweet to finish the dessert. The final dish is the perfect summer treat. It is both refreshing and light, and requires minimal effort in the kitchen!

Heat a grill to medium heat. Grill the slices of angel food cake for 1.5-2 minutes per side or until grill marks are formed; remove from the heat. Stir the noosa yogurt to distribute the lemon curd, then plate by topping each of the grilled angel food slices with an equal amount of yogurt and fresh currants. Garnish with fresh mint if desired and serve.

I have tried to make my own BBQ sauce in the past but I felt like it didn’t have the right balance. Consequently I have been on the hunt to find the “it” ingredient that gives it the right punch. I have decided that the key ingredient is tamarind sauce. Tamarind is a tart, fruit that lends its unique flavor to Worcestershire sauce and pad thai.

Often you will find tamarind in paste form, but I wanted to try to make my own tamarind sauce from the fresh pods. The outershell is broken off, and the sticky flesh is boiled off, and the inedible seeds discarded.

To make my tamarind BBQ sauce I mixed some of my tamarind sauce with other BBQ sauce staples – ketchup and molasses – and seasoned it with some Worcestershire sauce, onion granules, garlic, and pepper. The result was a tasty sauce with I now consider my base to build upon. I can’t wait to add on more depth to this tamarind BBQ sauce.

Tamarind BBQ Sauce

Tamarind sauce

8 ounces fresh tamarind (~10-12 pods)
2 cups water

Break off the outershells from the tamarind pods, and discard the shells. Place the tamarind in a bowl. the Pour 2 cups boiling water over the tamarind and let sit for 1 hour. Break apart the flesh, remove the seeds, and strain, squeezing out the juice and flesh. Add the strained tamarind to a small sauce pan and boil for 10 minutes; remove from heat and place in a sealable glass container. Makes 1 cup; refrigerate.

Note: I found this blog helpful in making sure I got the steps done correctly.

I can’t believe it is already time for school again. I feel like summer just disappeared! Now that I will have to pack lunches for my kiddos, I have been experimenting with healthy options that will keep them fueled for the day.

For example, in my bento box for this post I packed snap peas, strawberries, blueberries, and a Chicken and Avocado Sandwich. Adding the avocado to the sandwich is more than just a creamy layer – the good fat is beneficial for the absorption of other vitamins and minerals. The chicken and cheese provide protein and calcium, whereas the whole grain bread adds complex carbohydrates and fiber. I’m hoping this will be a satisfying and well received lunch!

Toast the bread, then spread the avocado on one side of each piece of bread. Lay the chicken evenly over the avocado on one slice, spread the mustard over the top, and add the provolone cheese. Then place the other piece of toast, avocado side down, on top. Serve.

For picnics or other summer gatherings, I find an ice box cake is an easy treat to make. The work is done ahead of time, and they tend to be crowd pleasers. For my latest ice box cake I wanted to make a take on an American classic – the Apple Pie.

This Apple Pie Ice Box Cake layers apple snaps or vanilla wafers with spiced vanilla pudding, and apple pie filling. The final touch is a drizzle or caramel sauce and peanuts, which adds a teaser of candy apple to the cake. It should be no surprise that my kids loved this dessert. A serving or two may have even disappeared at breakfast time!

Apple Pie Ice Box Cake

12 ounces apple snap cookies or vanilla wafer cookies

2 cups vanilla pudding

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

21 ounce can apple pie filing

¼ cup caramel sauce

¼ cup dry roasted peanuts

Line to bottom of an 8 inch x 8 inch dish with 1/3 or the cookies. Stir the apple pie spice into the vanilla pudding, and then evenly pour 1 cup of the pudding over the cookies. Next evenly pour half of the apple pie filling over the pudding. Add another layer of cookies on top and repeat the pudding and apple pie filling layers. Place a third and final layer of cookies on top, and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Before serving, drizzle the caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with the peanuts. Cut and serve.

The summertime heat often begs for meals that require little cooking or are lighter fare. With that in mind I wanted to try a stuffed tomato this week. For the filling I chose to use a mix of asparagus, red onion, and shrimp for a delicious and colorful dish. The dressing was a mix of tomato, sriracha powder and mayonnaise, which gave a nice kick to the filling. The result was a simple yet satisfying dinner. What summertime meals do you enjoy?

Stuffed Tomatoes

½ lb asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon sriracha powder

4 large beefsteak tomatoes (~3 lbs)

½ lb small cooked and peeled shrimp, thawed and drained

½ cup diced red onion

Bring 2 cup of water to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Blanch the asparagus for 3 minutes, then remove and place in ice water. Remove the centers from the tomatoes, reserving about ½ lb of the scooped out tomato for the sauce. Add the reserved tomato to a food processor, along with the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and sriracha powder. Drain the asparagus and add to a large bowl along with the shrimp and onion. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and stir to coat. Stuff the tomatoes with the shrimp mixture and serve immediately.

It is that time of year again where the benefits program offered by my employer encourages healthy eating choices. By choosing “superfoods” such as beans and legumes I can earn points faster, so I tend to incorporate them even more than I already do in my diet.

With this in mind I have been on the search for beans I haven’t tried and I stumbled upon mayocoba beans. They are a smooth white bean, similar to a northern bean, and equally as mild.

I decided on a basil vinaigrette and tomatoes and heart of palm as mix-ins, which was a decision based on using up some leftover ingredients. The resulting mayocoba bean salad was a fresh dish that I most certainly will make again.

Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse. Add the beans and stock to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until beans are tender, but firm. Drain and add to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes and hearts of palm. In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar, basil paste, and salt. Pour over the bean mixture and stir to coat. Stir in the cheese and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Quick and easy (and red, white, and blue!) treats are a great way to add a bit of fun to your Independence Day celebration. What I decided to make for this year are licorice “sparklers”, which are are just a new twist on chocolate coated pretzel rods.

Instead of pretzels, red vine licorice gets dipped in white candy melt and sprinkled with blue sugar, sprinkles, or pop rocks. Using pop rocks as the dash of blue is a fun way to add a bit of surprise to these licorice “sparklers”, it just requires that they are consumed shortly after are made in order to retain the pop rock fizz.

lay out a large sheet of wax paper, Melt the candy melts according to their package direction, and then one at a time dip the red vines in the melted candy, coating about a third or the red vine. Place the dipped red vine on the wax paper. Once a few red vines have been dipped and the coating is beginning to set, sprinkle a bit of the pop rocks/sprinkles on top. Repeat with the remaining red vines. Once the candy coating is set, the licorice “sparklers” are ready to serve. Store in a sealed container or zipped plastic bag.

Bone broth is one of the “it” food items these days. This nutrient dense stock is praised for its vitamin and mineral content thought to improve health. I figured I’d give it a try and incorporate the bone broth into a soup.

I’m sorry folks, but I didn’t like the taste. In addition, for the soup I was trying to make, the other ingredients and spices didn’t mask the taste. Let’s call this a food experiment fail.

Who doesn’t love bacon? Right? Now combine bacon with one of my favorite blogger contests – the Saucy Mama Blogger Contest – and I couldn’t wait to get started. First comes the hard part of choosing products to sample since they all sound so good. From the variety of mustards, sauces, and marinades I finally narrowed it down to the Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce and Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade to work into my dish.

I mixed the Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade (and a bit of green onions and bacon) into some ricotta cheese for a well spiced, creamy stuffing. Once stuffed and wrapped with bacon, the apricots got a coating of Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce for a sweet kick. The Saucy Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Apricots are baked until the bacon is crisp, and the wing sauce has caramelized.

My family loved them so much I don’t know if I could make enough for a party since they fly off the plate so fast. Give them a try and see what I mean!

Place 2 pieces of bacon in a 12-inch skillet. Pan fry the bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp; cool and crumble.

Mix ricotta cheese, green onion, crumbled bacon, and Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade, stirring to combine. Gently pull open the cavity in the dried apricots and place ~1 teaspoon of ricotta in the center of each (i.e. equally divide the ricotta mixture between the apricots). Cut the remaining bacon slices in half, wrap one around each apricot, and secure with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet (13 inches x 18 inches), and evenly brush the tops of the wrapped apricots with the Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and serve.

My daughter was successful in finishing kindergarten as a word warrior (a title based on the number of first grade words she knew). In our house, this title earned her a dinner of her choosing. We meandered through the grocery store, and one of the items she picked out was peewee potatoes. For her special dinner, I roasted some of the tiny potatoes (they are about the size of grape or cherry tomatoes) and contemplated how else I could serve them.

One idea that came to mind was a potato salad that didn’t involve chopping and boiling. Hence, the Baked Potato Salad was born. The mini potatoes are roasted whole, and then stirred together with some chive cream cheese, bacon bits, black olives, green onions, and cheddar cheese for a crowd pleaser of a dish.

The Baked Potato Salad was such a hit with my husband, I’m sure the next time I make it I will need to double the recipe to have enough for guests!

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rinse the peewee potatoes, then spread them out on a large, greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and begin to brown slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Place the cooled, baked potatoes in a large bowl, add the cream cheese and stir to coat. Add in the remainder of the ingredients and stir to mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

One of these days I am going to host a honey tasting party. If you have never tried a honey other than clover, you are missing out. One of my favorites is meadowfoam honey which tastes like cotton candy in honey form. Other honey flavors, such as tamarisk or buckwheat, are dark colored honey with a robust and earthy taste.

Since I had some tamarisk (and buckwheat) honey on hand, I wanted to make an easy appetizer that showcases the honey. I topped sweet potato chips with a small wedge of brie cheese, drizzled on some honey and garnished with chives.

Now that I have started to think of ways to sample the honey, I just have to plan and execute the party!

I typically pick up different honey varieties when I visit farmer’s markets, but some of the larger specialty honey makers sell online as well. A few of the brands that I have tried are Grampa’s Honey and Winter Park Honey.